Investigating Key Psychometric Properties of the French Version of the Early Years Evaluation-Teacher Assessment

Oct 15, 2026

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This research examines key psychometric properties of the French Early Years Evaluation-Teacher Assessment, an instrument designed to evaluate kindergarten children across five developmental domains: self and environment awareness, social skills and behaviour, cognitive abilities, language and communication, and physical development. Francophone kindergarten children in New Brunswick were recruited to test internal consistency, content and construct validity, concurrent and discriminant validity, and linguistic bias compared with the English version. Findings show strong psychometric properties, supporting confident use to screen at-risk children in francophone kindergartens.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Background and Rationale

Early Screening and Assessment Approach

The EYE-TA Instrument in Canada

Investigating Key Psychometric Properties of the French Version of the Early Years Evaluation-Teacher Assessment Robert Laurie University of New Brunswick Elizabeth Sloat University of New Brunswick Abstract This research investigates key psychometric properties of the French Early Years Evaluation-Teacher Assessment measure designed to systematically assess kindergarten children across five social and academic developmental domains: awareness of self and environment, social skills and behaviour, cognitive abilities, language and communication, and physical development. New Brunswick francophone kindergarten children were recruited to assess the instrument’s internal consistency; content, construct, concurrent and discriminant validity; and linguistic bias relative to the English version. Results indicate that the French measure has strong psychometric properties, and that it can therefore be used with confidence to screen for at-risk children in francophone kindergartens. Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 39:3 (2016)©2016 Canadian Society for the Study of Education/ Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) Keywords: child development, Early Years Evaluation, screening test, kindergarten, school readiness, vulnerable children, reliability, validity, linguistic bias, differential item functioning (DIF) Résumé Cette recherche étudie des propriétés psychométriques de la version française de l’outil Early Years Evaluation-Teacher Assessment. L’outil sert à mesurer le développement des enfants à la maternelle dans cinq domaines essentiels pour la réussite scolaire et sociale: conscience de soi et de l’environnement, habiletés sociales et comportement, habiletéscognitives, langue et communication, et développement physique. Des enfants francophones de la maternelle au Nouveau-Brunswick ont été recruté pour évaluer la fidélité del’instrument; sa validité de contenu, de construit, et sa validité concourante et discriminante, ainsi que son biais linguistique par rapport à la version anglaise. Les résultats indiquent que les propriétés psychométriques de l’outil de mesure sont excellentes et qu’il peut être utilisé en toute confiance pour dépister les enfants francophones à risque dès lamaternelle. Mots-clés : développement de l’enfant, Évaluation de la petite enfance, test de dépistage, maternelle, préparation à l’école, enfants vulnérables, fidélité, validité, biais linguistique, fonctionnement différentiel des items (FDI) Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 39:3 (2016) [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) Introduction Adapting seamlessly to the school environment at entry to kindergarten and achieving success in the first years of school is highly dependent on children’s abilities, behaviours, and attitudes (Canadian Council on Learning–Conseil Canadien de l’Apprentissage [CCL-CCA], 2006). Research shows that differences in these traits during the early years can predict later school achievement (Cabell, Justice, Konold, & McGinty, 2011; McCartney, 2007) . Children entering kindergarten already behind their peers typically fall further behind each passing year unless they receive early and targeted intervention and support. It is possible to alter children’s poor growth trajectories, but identifying clearly and accurately where each individual child struggles along the continua of multiple developmental domains is central to providing the direct instruction needed to address achievement differences (Canadian Education Statistics Council [CESC], 2009). Early screening benefits all children, but vulnerable children in particular must have needs addressed at the earliest age possible if they are to have the best chance of overcoming difficulties (Doherty, 1997; Fox, Dunlap, & Cushing, 2002; Lyon et al., 2001) . Many education jurisdictions in Canada and internationally now collect diagnostic information on kinderg

FAQs

What does the Early Years Evaluation-Teacher Assessment (EYE-TA) measure?

It assesses kindergarten children across five domains: self and environment awareness, social skills and behaviour, cognitive abilities, language and communication, and physical development.

How was the French version of the instrument evaluated in this study?

Francophone kindergarten children in New Brunswick were recruited to examine internal consistency, content and construct validity, concurrent and discriminant validity, and linguistic bias relative to the English version.

What do the study results indicate about using the French EYE-TA?

The results indicate strong psychometric properties, supporting its use with confidence to screen for at-risk children in francophone kindergartens.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet